important

Feel free to talk. The Senate let the NSA’s right to bulk-collect Americans’ phone data lapse last night following a push by GOP presidential candidate Rand Paul, effectively ending the country’s post-9/11 mass surveillance tactics. The White House slammed the halt as irresponsible in light of terrorism concerns and blamed partisan bickering for the lapse. But senators also voted to consider the Obama-backed Freedom Act, which could see a new form of data collection — requiring specific government requests from phone companies — become legal in the coming days.

The Way We Wire

Smokers in China’s capital are fuming. From today, they’re no longer allowed to light up in restaurants, airports, on public transit or near schools and hospitals, and offenders face fines of $32.25. The new law aims to reduce the toll on public health, which sees an estimated one million people die annually and racks up medical costs that outweigh tobacco revenues. Health experts have lauded Beijing’s new law and hope the rest of China — the world’s largest consumer of tobacco — will continue the trend to stub it out.

Butt Nothing

His battle is just beginning. The South Carolina Republican hopes to make a case for himself as the national security stalwart in an already crowded GOP field. His hawkish stance could help with conservative voters who see him as either too moderate or liberal on other issues. He’ll enter the fray with one major supporter: 2008 nominee John McCain, whose circle of former staff members and fundraising experts are expected to join the Graham campaign. Still, the 59-year old faces an uphill climb to emerge from single-digit standing in the polls and catch the competition.

New Front

Start at the top. That’s the message from retired U.S. Gen. David Petraeus about how to defeat ISIS. Arms alone will not quash the jihadists in Iraq, he told the BBC, adding that there must be “that political component as well.” Petraeus advocates giving Sunni Arabs a reason to support the Shiite-controlled government by ushering in political change that favors them. Good leadership will help Sunnis see that “somebody will have their back,” thereby boosting their willingness to fight for an Iraqi military that he’s certain can prevail.

Top Down

Maybe it’s time for regulators to take another look. The $9.8 trillion U.S. home loan business used to be the province of banks, but now big players like J.P. Morgan and Bank of America are pulling back after post-crisis regulations imposed high penalties for misconduct. Shadow banks, which lend like banks but are subject to far less oversight, have doubled their share of the market in recent years, creeping up to 53 percent in April — but authorities are catching on and adjusting their sights.

Briefly

intriguing

Call her Caitlyn. The person formerly known as Bruce Jenner has publicly reintroduced herself. Appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair, the Olympic champion said she had been forced to live a lie everyday but that her new identity allows her to live an honest life going forward. Jenner also created a new Twitter account, which has already amassed hundreds of thousands of followers. How big is Jenner’s splash? For context, she knocked relatives Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s baby news off the front page of nearly every entertainment site.

Second Glance

After years of urging by organic food advocates, the poultry giant has decided to stop using human antibiotics in its products. The announcement comes after competitors like Tyson foods made similar decisions, citing fears that strains of bacteria can develop antibiotic resistance. According to the NRDC, the move means up to a third of all U.S. chicken production will now be organic. But not everything is sunny side up: The CEO of Sanderson Farms said he has no plans to end antibiotics for his flock and Foster Farms didn’t specify an end-timeline.

Free Chickens

One year after suffering a car crash on the New Jersey turnpike that killed one of his best friends, comedian Tracy Morgan gave his first televised interview to the Today Show’s Matt Lauer. Speaking quietly but assuredly, Morgan said he didn’t remember the accident itself but has watched a spectator’s video of it on YouTube – leading to further pain. The 46-year-old still grieves for comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair and called him “a good man.” Morgan says he’ll return to comedy eventually – but says he’s just not ready.

Friendly Return

She raced right into history. Harriette Thompson, a cancer survivor from Charlotte, North Carolina, ran San Diego’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Sunday in 7 hours and 24 minutes, becoming the oldest woman — at 92 years and 65 days old — to complete a marathon. She beat previous record-holder Gladys Burrill, who finished the 2010 Honolulu Marathon at 92 years and 19 days old. Thompson, who was racing for the 16th time on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, began running marathons in her 70s.

Senior Record

One woman’s trash is someone else’s priceless artifact. Silicon Valley recycling center CleanBayArea is trying to find a woman who dropped off several boxes of unwanted stuff a few weeks ago — so-called junk that included an original 1976 Apple 1 computer. It was one of only about 200 ever made and has just sold at private auction for $200,000. The woman, who was cleaning out her garage after her husband’s death, didn’t leave any contact details, but the center would like to thank her … with a $100,000 check.

Bargain Bin

Was he trying to be a hero? The Spanish singer offered more of himself than usual in Tijuana, Mexico, on Saturday. He reached up to catch a hovering drone camera — which he often does to show the crowd his perspective during shows — but he grabbed the wrong side, slicing open his hand in front of 12,000 fans. He ran backstage for triage, then sang for another 30 minutes before flying to Los Angeles, where he’s undergoing treatment before hitting the trail again in July.

A Cut Above

Rand Paul might be gunning for them next. The ride-sharing app is rolling out a new feature — and a rewritten privacy policy — that will see passengers who opt in divulge even more personal information: their exact whereabouts. Despite fallout from using its controversial “God View” tracker to spy on a reporter last year, Uber will launch the feature on July 15 to get drivers to clients faster. And while critics and politicians fret over privacy concerns, plenty are still going along for the ride.

On Location

Behind a two-goal outburst by Chicago star Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks soared to a 5-3 Game 7 victory over the Ducks, securing a spot in the Stanley Cup finals to play for their third championship in six seasons. Anaheim’s Game 7 monkey — they’ve ended their last three seasons on Game 7s at home — will gnaw at them for another season. Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup veterans will square off against a young Tampa Bay Lightning team on Wednesday in Florida.